The major storage protein synthesized in the seed of the bean Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Taylor's Horticultural consists of four polypeptide subunits having molecular weights of 51,000, 49,000 and 43,500. In the proposed research we shall isolate membrane-bound polysomes from cotyledons during storage protein synthesis, isolate and purify the mRNA for each subunit, prepare cDNA to each of the mRNA's, use the cDNA as probes to determine time of initiation of storage protein mRNA transcription, absolute concentration of the mRNAs, stability of the mRNAs throughout seed development, processing of nuclear precursors of the mRNAs, and the reiteration frequency of the storage protein genes. We shall also determine time of initiation of translation of each of the protein subunits by immunoelectrophoresis, and whether there is differential regulation of synthesis of the different subunit polypeptides.